From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Myth of Progress is the idea of refuting
the concept that the whole of human society, or some part of it,
has experienced a normative evolution in a positive direction, and
will continue to do so in the future. One example of the Myth of
Progress is in the context of science, where it is considered part
of scientism.

The Myth of Progress has been considered in several different
contexts. One such context is psychology, which has ascribed
certain subconscious motives to beliefs in progress as supplanting
older myths typically based on religion.

The following is from the Montague David Eder article
referenced below: "The myth of progress states that civilization
has moved, is moving, and will move in a desirable direction.
Progress is inevitable..... Philosophers, men of science and
politicians have accepted the idea of the inevitability of
progress."[1] In this
essay, he argues that the advancement of civilization is leading to
greater unhappiness and loss of control in the environment. Kirkpatrick
Sale, a self-proclaimed neo-luddite author,
wrote exclusively about progress as a myth, in an essay entitled
"Five Facets of a Myth".[2]